Joe Lorenzo
Bio
Joe Lorenzo started his career in NYC, where he worked in a Management Development firm. Joe cultivated some of today’s hottest young actors, and writers. In September 2002, Joe moved to Los Angeles, for a position in a Talent Management Company.
In November 2003, Joe started his own Management Company, called JMA- Joseph Michael & Associates. JMA/ Joe Lorenzo represent Above the Line, and Below the Line talent, including such actors as EG Daily ( noted for her on-camera work, as well as being one of the highest grossing voice-over actors of all time/ “Tommy Pickles” of The Rugrats, “Buttercup” of The Powerpuff Girls, “Baby Mumbles” of Happy Feet, “Louie the Duck” of Ducktales, and more!); Louis Moyle (7 yrs. Old) ( “My Name is Earl”), Nielen Benvegnu (15 yrs. Old) (Tarik in “The Sandlot 2”, and “Womens Murder Club” on ABC ), Amy & Zoe Schlagel(7 yrs. Old) (Lead/ “The Year of the Dog” for Paramount; which garnered the twin girls a 3 picture deal with the studio/ Paramount), outside of that 3 picture deal, they recently filmed the LEAD role in Bob Yari’s {“Crash”}, new movie “Christmas in Wonderland”opposite Patrick Swayze in his last role; Kate Orsini (“General Hospital”); Ben Easter (“I Will Always Know What You Did Last Summer”) Tyler Blackburn (“Pretty Little Liars” & “Roswell” on CW); Kara Crane (“Disney 365, Disneys Minutemen”); Joel Rush (“Days of our Lives” & “Tyler Perrys If Loving You Is Wrong”); Aimee Lynn Chadwick (“Disneys Prom” & “Cinderella Story”); Lindsey Haun (“HBO’s True Blood”); Michael King (“ABC’s Last Resort”); Breanna Yde (“Nickelodeon’s Haunted Hathaways, & School of Rock”); Ajiona Alexus (“Netflix 13 Reasons Why” and “FOX’s Empire”); Sydney Sweeney (“HBO’s “White Lotus”, “Euphoria”, and “Sharp Objects”); Taylor Zakhar Perez (Netflix “The Kissing Booth”), and such kids shows as “Zoey 101”, “The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody”, and the ever so popular “Hannah Montana”, and “Austin and Ally”; and more! Such writers as Riley Weston noted for her work on “Felicity”, DISNEY (“The Youngest Writer Ever to Ink Deal w/ Disney as seen on DATELINE”), ABC, and more.
In 2006 Joe Lorenzo changed the name of his company to Society Entertainment, in continued efforts in the fields of packaging, and producing. With Joe’s background as a Casting Director (cast over 30 films), Joe has the capabilities to get Name Talent, Name Directors, and Recognized Writers on to projects he is producing. Joe Lorenzo packaged 4 films in 2005, including the Feature Film, “Girls Club” w/ Jaime King, and the Television Movie of the Week, “Christmas at Waters Edge”, w/ Keisha Knight Pulliam (“Rudy” from The Cosby Show), for ABC. In 2006, Joe produced “Rocker” a low budget indie with his client as the writer and the star. In recent years he produced the feature films “Next of Kin” in Los Angeles, “Boston Girls”, in Boston Mass, “The No-Sit List”aka “Babysitters Beware”, in Los Angeles, a kid’s movie in the vein of Dennis the Menace meets Home Alone, summer of 2011 he produced “Open Road” a coming of age drama with Camilla Belle, Juliette Lewis, and Andy Garcia, lastly Joe is currently in development on “The Wind In The Willows” based on the popular children’s novel.
In 2012, with Social Media growing into the number one online marketing tool, Joe Lorenzo & Society Entertainment opened a division specializing in managing Talent, Brands, Corporations, Charities, and Local Businesses. Through social media Joe is able to increase brand awareness, fans, relevance for any type of entity listed above. Society Entertainment currently represents a hat line, a day spa (national), 2 local charities, 2 local restaurants, a nightclub, a national solar panel company, and a premium Vodka, and more.
In 2017, the acclaimed talent professional opened Society Performers Academy to give all kids ages 6–18+ the opportunity to train, coach, develop their craft, obtain valuable marketing materials and provide them with the tools necessary to meet agents, managers and casting directors. With Joe’s 20+ career in entertainment, he brings his strong relationships with top talent agents/ managers/ casting directors et al, to young performers starting out…
Lastly Joe is on the board of several charities in Los Angeles, and nationally, and WAS AWARDED THE “GOOD NEIGHBOR” AWARD SPONSORED BY STATE FARM 2013.
1600 Rosecrans Avenue
Bldg 1A, 2nd Floor South
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310.348.7242
Joe Lorenzo Winning LGBT Good Neighbor Award
John Stevens
Bio
John Stevens is honored to be a member of the Association of Acting Coaches and Educators. A group of respected professionals who are actively working to make creative spaces safer for actors of all ages and levels of experience. John has had the opportunity to work extensively in the UK, the United States and Canada. Thanks to his holistic approach to working with actors, his clients are flourishing in their respective markets. John's unique perspective combines a healthy dose of business coaching and artistic guidance.
John is one of the most sought-after coaches for audition coaching, self-tapes and working with young actors who are attending showcase events all over the world. He often writes original materials for actors of all ages catering to each actor's own individual abilities.
In addition to his work with Society Performer's Academy, he is also a founding board member of the Act-On Ability Foundation. The grass-roots foundation provides free acting classes to actors with disabilities, and educates industry leaders about ableism in the Television and Film Industry as a whole.
As a child performer, John was spotted all across the Pacific Northwest, until he joined his first National Tour at the age of 17. John was named one of the top 40 most influential people in the arts under the age of 40 while he was still a junior in High School. With an impressive resume at the age of 18, John moved to New York City and attended Marymount Manhattan College on a Merit Scholarship, double majoring in Dance and Theatre. John was a featured performer on Carnival Cruise Lines where he was in the nightly variety shows and was able to travel the world. John returned to New York City at the peak of his dance career, choreographing 3 Off Broadway Shows, and was commissioned by the United Nations to choreograph a new musical being brought over from Turkey. His musical theatre career highlights include Stephen Sondheim's, Follies starring Maxine Andrews (Of the Andrews Sisters), Denise Darcel, Judy Kaye, Karen Morrow, and Edie Adams. He also toured with John Schuck and JoAnne Worley in the hit musical, Annie, and Camelot for the 5th Avenue Theatre. On the east coast, he was featured in Cathy Rigby Is Peter Pan, and he starred as Peter in the newly revised script of Babes in Arms. John starred opposite Broadway Star and TV personality, Cheyenne Jackson in the West Coast Premiere of Babes In Arms. Since then John has produced, directed, choreographed and collaborated with Ashanti, Wyclef Jean, and numerous other talents for everything from product launches to publicity stunts. John's clients can be seen in Resident Evil, Y The Last Man, Kate on Netflix, Workin' Mom's, Degrassi, Becoming Alex, Level 16, Astronaut, See with Jason Mamoa, Titans, School of Rock the series, Jupiter's Legacy, Tully, Hit The Road, with Jason Alexander, Hell on Wheels, Wynona Earp... to name a few.
Adam Tschupruk
Bio
Adam has received extensive training with celebrated acting coach, John Stevens and has also had the opportunity to train with renowned casting directors; Harriet Greenspan, CSA, Larissa Mair, CDC, and Ron Leach, CDC. Adam had his theatrical debut in the Take Two Theatre production of Hamlet and Zombies where he starred as Guildenstern. He has also been a part of a popular print campaign for GoBus all across Ontario. Adam is best known for his work on several well-known TV shows such as Paranormal Nightshift on the Travel Channel, where he played Al Campbell, and the hit TV Show streaming on Hulu, Y: The Last Man, where he starred as Ian alongside Elliot Fletcher, Missy Pyle, and Diane Lane. He is excited to share his experiences and knowledge with Society Performer's Canada.
Adam Peddle
Bio
Adam is a former Nickelodeon and YTV actor with expertise in Film and Television Production, and a Bachelor of Arts in Media Production. Adam began his screen acting career being coached by celebrity acting coach, John Stevens. He has appeared and starred in television shows such as “The Other Kingdom”, and “The Strain”, as well as the award winning TV movie series “Bruno and Boots: Go Jump in the Pool”. He went on to study Media Production at Ryerson University, specializing in directing and producing single camera productions. During his studies, he coached youth and teen actors, who have gone on to book acting jobs all across Canada. After graduating, and working as a Digital Media Specialist, he has developed his own YouTube sports entertainment podcast “Blue Jays Today”. He is thrilled to be working with Society Performer's Academy to continue helping inspire artists to thrive in the arts and entertainment industry.
Michael McGrath
Bio
Michael McGrath brings a keen eye for talent, a lifelong background in creative arts, and 15 years of industry experience. Having worked closely with John Stevens on numerous projects specifically within youth talent evaluations for castings and program placement. Michael is a passionate communicator who knows first-hand, and from a young age the desire and hard work one must put in to achieve their dreams.
Sienna Bartels
Bio
Sienna Bartels is an English as a Second Language Teacher and Digital Marketing Consultant from Vancouver British Columbia. She has over 6 years of experience working with children and families in education and afterschool mentorship programs. In addition, she has been working under Michael McGrath, a leader in TV/Film talent scouting for several years. Along with her work in education and talent scouting, Sienna also has experience as a Digital Marketer and her expertise focuses on social media marketing, web design, and customer engagement. Sienna is dedicated to helping children reach their goals and realize their passions, while working closely with parents to find the support that best suits their needs. Sienna is passionate about creative arts and enjoys painting and dancing as a form of self expression.
Athena Park
Bio
Athena Park is an award-winning actress, born on December 9, 2004. Her credits include "The Swearing Jar" (2021), "Ghostwriter"(2020) and "Holly Hobbie" (2018-2022). Athena has won 4 awards from the Joey Awards, Young Entertainer Awards, and the Young Artist Academy for her performances on Holly Hobbie, Inconvenience, and Plan Z. Including 10 nominations for multiple other roles. Additionally, at the age of 11 years old, Athena voiced numerous roles on "Bibleman: The Animated Adventures" for young boy and girl roles. Athena's first on-screen appearance started at the age of 8 years old, with commercials and short films. Simultaneously, Athena was also working in theater as an actress, singer and dancer, in the play, "Into The Woods" and "Snow White" (The Evil Queen). By experiencing theater, Athena continued to act, sing and dance, leading her to become a triple threat. Her hobbies include, riding her motorcycle and training towards her second degree black belt in taekwondo.
Ema Inês
Bio
Ema Inês has worked as an actor for some 15 years, starting in theatre at the age of 5. She has worked on a variety of productions in a leading role, such as Disney Channel’s show, Holly Hobbie, and has benefited from coaching by well established and reputable industry leaders. With her strong skill set, Ema has worked with artists on their film/television auditions and has had success in working with actors on admissions to performing art programs/schools. Ema is currently mastering her craft at Ryerson University through their Film Production program. She has both ACTRA and non-union set experience; both as an actor and as part of the production team. You will benefit from Ema’s deep understanding of expectations of actors:- in the audition room/self-tapes and/or shoot days. Ema will work with actors of all levels/experience and will guide you through scene breakdowns, explore raw beats and work with you to stop thinking like an actor, rather to think as your character. Ema is passionate about the world and its environment, is a vegetarian, and a dog lover.
Anne Leveille
Bio
My name is Anne Ruth Leveille and I am 19 years old. I am currently residing in Vancouver, BC. I was born in Winnipeg, MB and moved to BC in 2021!
I recently completed Harbour Dance's Intensive Training program and have fallen in love with the Vancouver dance community, and everything it has to offer. I have a reputation for being professional, and I am confident in my abilities as an artist and team member. Learning from Moe Brody personally and watching her lead and direct has taught me a lot about where I'd like to see myself in the future.
I was literally born to dance as my home studio in Winnipeg, Encore Studios, was started by my mom where she continues as the Artistic Director/Owner today. She has played a huge role in my passion & knowledge of dance, and ensured I had my R.A.D. Intermediate at an early age as she is a stickler for technique. However I loved taking classes in various genres. As a full-time competitive dancer, I have been strongly influenced in hip hop by my teacher/mentor, Alemar Regala.
I started teaching at the age of 15 and continue to teach locally, as well as choreographing both here and at Encore Studios in Winnipeg. Choreography is a way to express myself, and a way to collaborate with dancers on a unique level.
At the age of 6, I found a love for being in front of the camera and started auditioning for film and tv. I trained in Toronto, Los Angeles & Winnipeg for acting, and have been in various stage productions and movies as background, supporting, and lead roles.
I see myself continuing to train and perform within the dance community, working in Film/Television, as well as live performances. I am passionate about travel and would love to perform on stage in front of larger audiences both here and abroad.
Laura Afelskie
Bio
Laura Afelskie is an actress from Toronto and soon to be graduate of Ryerson University. Having trained at studios in Toronto and LA, Laura has spent the last 10 years cultivating her craft on stage, screen, and through voiceover. One of her earlier projects include performing as a featured singer at Family Channel’s Big Ticket Summer Concert at the Budweiser Stage. Additionally, she was flown to LA to be apart of the Scenebot Stage web series where she connected with talent reps and casting. In the world of film and television Laura has worked on several challenging and exciting projects. Her most recent and upcoming credits include Secret Santa (directed by Lane Bishop, known for The Duff), CW’s In The Dark and Netflix’s Painkiller from the creators of Narcos (directed by Peter Berg, known for Friday Night Lights). In addition to being a working actor, she has been working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Creative Industries at Ryerson University. While at Ryerson, she has had the opportunity to take courses on talent management, video production, business and a multitude of additional industry related courses. Through this program, she became an intern at Mann Casting where she now works as a session runner. Laura is very passionate about working in the arts and looks forward to sharing this with others. When she’s not working, she loves attending fitness classes (especially boxing!), journaling, writing, and spending time with friends and family.
Ahmed Alexander
Bio
Ahmed is a Toronto based theater, television and film actor. Growing up just outside the city he was homeschool from the third grade till graduating secondary school. During these formative years is where he developed a love for film and story, as well as where threw himself into his passion that would become the backbone of his special skills as an actor. He spent his adolescent years becoming an accomplished archer, fencer and equestrian. Coupled with a background in martial arts, he carries over a driving sentiment that acting is something you do with your body, not your brain. Prior to stepping in front of the camera, Ahmed spent ten years working in live production with a number of acts and performers in Toronto. Initially as a stage hand then later stage managing and eventually writing and producing for one man shows and variety acts. Tethered to his belief in the healing nature of art and the creative process, Ahmed is constantly training in an attempt to fine tune his instrument, deepen his understanding of the craft and by virtue his understanding of himself.
Clarence Sponagle
Bio
Clarence Sponagle is a Nova Scotian born actor. He is the recipient of the prestigious Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for an Actor in a Leading Role, for his work in the world premiere of THE SHOOTING STAGE. A graduate of Studio 58 in Vancouver, BC, his numerous stage credits have allowed him to perform all across Canada, with a few stops in America along the way. Clarence also received critical praise for his work in the film, EIGHTEEN, in which Sponagle received an honourable mention at The Vancouver Leo Awards in 2006. His other favourite work includes TWO WEEKS, TWICE A YEAR, in which he was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Theatre Award for an Actor in a Leading Role. Mr Sponagle's film work can be seen in several television series, short and feature length films. He is an activist for both animals and humans.
Jada Chang
Bio
Jada Chang is a BC born dancer and choreographer. With experience ranging from RAD ballet and pointe to jazz funk, she brings a range of style to her classes. Jada has competed at a range of festivals and competitions as well as performed in many community events like Mingle of The Jingles and West Van Days. She has also been in multiple creative concept videos directed by notable choreographer, Chanel Lacasse. Her teaching experience began at 14, assisting classes with multiple age groups and styles, learning from her studio's teachers. Jada hopes to inspire students and build their confidence as individuals in a safe space where they are free to learn and grow as well rounded performers.
Mac Dale
Bio
Mac Dale was born in Ottawa, ON. Before he began his professional acting career in film and television, he fell in love with the theatre. Notably, Mac received best actor in the Ontario Drama Festival and was a two time finalist at the Canadian Improv Games. His professional TV/Film career includes performances on "Paranormal Witness", Motive's and Murders: Cracking The Case", "Ash & Dust", and the soon to be released "Therapy Nightmares". This holiday season, Mac can be seen sharing a scene with Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale) and Jamison Belushi (The Last Summer) in Hotel For The Holidays, an Amazon Prime Original to be released this holiday season.
Michael Mazzei
Bio
Graduated from Humber College Acting For Film & Television program with honours Michael Mazzei is a talented young actor with amazing aspirations for his future in the industry. He’s been signed to a couple of well known agency’s across Toronto and has been on the likes of Disney Channel, YTV and the Discovery Channel.
Michael not only has a massive love for acting but also believes an actor should explore all parts of the industry whether it be writing or directing. Everyone has there story’s and reasonings for what made them want to become an actor, and for Michael it was and I quote “something that I got into because of bullying, because I never felt like I could be myself. I found acting and fell in love with playing a variety of different characters. I never wanted to be myself, but rather play a character who was stronger and more confident until I realized later on in life that even characters themselves have their ups and downs and most if not all of them reach their goal at the end of the story and for me, where I am now -I believe I have found that love and respect for myself that I couldn’t find before, and it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t immerse myself into this crazy, goofy world I call acting”.
